dailyprompt

Let Truth Reign

/ The WheatandTares / 7 Comments

What would you change about modern society?

If there was one thing I’d change about our modern society is to restore truth as actual truth.

It is a tragedy to watch as so many mainstream sources will flat out lie about a given situation, and although truth eventually comes out, the original lie is never accounted for, apologized for, or redacted.

It’s as if we can publicly say whatever we want, no matter if it’s slander, lies, false accusations, or what, and it’s simply to be tolerated and allowed.

Now, without getting into a political debate, I do have to say, even this allowance of fallacy seems to be catered to more on one side of the political arena than the other as well.

Even when “everyone and their brother” can recognize the falsehoods (and I’m talking blatant lies here!), we are demanded to agree, accept and comply.

And if we don’t, we are outcast, berated or just plain thrown into a camp of those who have been relegated as troublemakers or hyperbole speakers.

Whatever happened to truth in the facts?

Whatever happened to truth in the evidence?

Whatever happened to common decency in disagreements and having different sides of the same story?

Oh, right. I tend to forget…

If I disagree with you or I dislike your relative truth, I am railroaded as a hater, a radical, or someone who is just too stupid to understand these modern times and cultural issues.

Nope. Not doing it. I’m not stupid, and I work hard to never be a hater.

Relative truth will not stand the test of time.

Relative truth is based on shallow beliefs, shallow arguments, and shifting testimonies.

Relative truth has no depth because it has no substance.

When a foundation has no substance, it is unstable in all it’s ways.

When a foundation has no depth, it will crumble under any weight it needs to bear.

And you surely cannot build your life, your home or your legacy upon it.

It will be washed away by the tide of the adversity and blown away by the storms of life.

If you want this modern culture to thrive and sustain beyond this generation, somebody is going to have to rise up and start rebuilding on some absolute truths.

But I digress.

This message of absolute truth may not be the one you, my reader, wants to hear…

However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.

John 16:13-15

And you shall know thetruth, and the truth shall make you free.

John 8:32

Aging Gracefully

/ The WheatandTares

What do you think gets better with age?

Life will get better with age, if you’ll let it.

We have a choice. We get to decide.

We can walk gracefully forward in age, or we can fight it, rebel against it, and revel in our youth until it is no more.

We can walk gracefully toward old age, or we can lament and regret all the days gone by.

Walking gracefully into age is not to mean you have to become decrepit and feeble before your time.

It doesn’t even mean to halt all living and die where you stand.

Aging gracefully can be beautiful when done right.

Aging gracefully is actually fighting for what you have with fervor and zeal.

Aging gracefully is grasping reality by the hand and twirling it into a spin that becomes a majestic waltz.

Aging gracefully is letting the tears roll on while breathing in deep the peace that surpasses understanding and the merciful love of eternity.

Aging gracefully is laughing with joy at the days ahead because you are secure in Who holds your tomorrow.

So, dance the dance until it becomes your life.

Embrace the years and savor those precious moments while letting the bad slip through your fingers like sand.

Let the goodness overwhelm you as the sweetness of His glory bursts forth through the pain.

Age gracefully, my friend.

Little ones are watching, and they follow closely behind.

…………

In tribute to my grandmother who was a beauty and aged gracefully till 94. May I follow closely in her footsteps, as well as all who knew her through the years…

…………

She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

Proverbs 31:25-26

Music to My Ears

/ The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

What is your favorite genre of music?

To be honest, I think I must just like music. Haha.

When I get the question, “What’s your favorite genre of music?” I want to return the question with, “What’s my mood today? What’s the season, or what’s something new?”

I might be better of to answer what music do I NOT like because that might narrow the field a little more.

To listen consistently, I can’t really handle the screamo-metal genre. And even that, my son has introduced a song or two that I really like. However for the most part, that genre is probably the one with which I can’t really hang for long.

And maybe Techno isn’t one of my favorites. Still, there’s some techno tunes of the 80s that still get me moving and singing along at the top of my lungs when they come on.

And I guess, I’d have to say if there’s a genre that often turns me off, not for the music but more for the vulgar language used, is today’s culture of Rap. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’ve listened to plenty, as our oldest aspired to be a rap artist when he was younger. So, I’ve listened ti my fat share, and if you’re not cussing or talking dirty, I’ll give it a good listen. Unfortunately, too many of today’s rap artists have taken the cheap route of filling their lyrics with more F-bombs and bedroom brawls than they have good lyrics and story telling.

But give me Easy Listening, Southern Rock, Hard Rock, Classical, Acoustic, Indie, Southern Gospel, Blues, Bluegrass, Alternative, Christian, Christian Rock, Classic Rock, Jazz, Big Band, Folk, Celtic, Pop, Rhythm & Blues, Hip Hop, Soul, Punk, Reggae, Disco, Ambient, Latin, Progressive, New Wave, Dubstep, Vocal, Choir, Rock & Roll… (did I miss any?) Y

ou name it. I’ll give it a listen.

I just love music. It’s melody that soothes the soul. I love the quote our Choir leader tells us, “Music is what feelings sound like.”

And something I love even more than man made music is the music of nature. The chimes of the breeze through the branches; the thunder of the clouds upon the mountains; the roar of the oceans upon the sand, or the chirp of the newborn baby birds calling for their mother. These are the beauty that will unfold in God’s creation, if we will but take a moment to listen.

A good song can uplift the broken heart. A good lyric can soothe a weary soul. A good tune can wipe away tears and being a smile.

And a well placed melody can write a book to express the deepest emotions that words just can’t describe.

So, turn up the volume just a little and tune into what someone is trying to tell you.

Let your words be few and your notes be many.

And let the harmony take you to places you’ve never been.

For you shall go out with joy,
And be led out with peace;
The mountains and the hills
Shall break forth into singing before you,
And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree,
And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree;
And it shall be to the Lord for a name,
For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

Isaiah 55:12-13

His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory.

Isaiah 43:2

Dreaming of a Land Faraway

/ The WheatandTares

What countries do you want to visit?

There are a few countries to which I have already traveled, and a couple of them are already in my heart…

Ukraine, Africa and Romania

One day, I’d love to visit Ireland, Iceland, Scotland, New Zealand and Switzerland.

A few other dreamlands would be Norway, Italy, Argentina, and maybe Chile and Costa Rica.

How about you?

Where are your dreams taking you tonight?

Taglines are Interesting

/ The WheatandTares

If humans had taglines, what would yours be?

If my life had a tagline, it would be #complicated.

Sometimes, it might be #gentle and #mild.

But it would never be #overbearing and #rude.

It might be #fierce and #courageous one day

And #meek and #hesitant the next.

It could even be #growing and #growling

But it hopefully wouldn’t be #biting and #gnashing.

Although it will always be #repenting and #forgiving, #forgiven and #purified.

And it would definitely always be

#JACKEDUPLIKEEVERYONEELSE

But yet #savedbygracealone.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:8-10

The Loves of My Life

/ The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

Who do you spend the most time with?

I spend the majority of my time with the loves of my life: my husband and our two sons.

We have the most fun together, either all together, individually, or even broken up into pairs.

We love to travel, or hike, or to take a road trip, or take a walk, or go shopping, or find a great restaurant, or maybe just sit for a spell, telling stories, pondering the mysteries of God, comparing notes on the Lord of the Rings, or simply hanging out doing nothing at all.

Just being together is what counts. And although, each of us are so very different from the other, we’ve always been a very tight knit family. But as they grow, those days are coming to change very soon.

And my heart gets a bit sad every time I think about it.

Yet, I know it is meant to be, and I know it’s bittersweet.

It is meant to be because every parent wants their child to always be moving forward in life, never crippled, never wounded, or just stuck in one phase.

It is meant to be because every parent wants to see their children flourish, succeed, and fly like an eagle into their adult life, learning, growing and soaring into his own.

It is exciting because we want them to be strong men, independent, and confident in who they each are called to be. We raised them this way, and they are boldly approaching the goal.

It is exciting because we want to see them explore and experience all the thrills, all the joys, we once did and so much more.

It is bittersweet because I know as these days draw closer, they will fly; they will flourish, and one day, they will find the girl of their dreams. Then, they will begin their own families, their own lives.

It is bittersweet because this mama’s heart will miss them so and long for one more hug, another spontaneous, late night chat, an unexpected trip to the store “just to get a few things” and have some extra individual time together.

It is heartwarming because as you realize they’ve got what it takes to make it, and not just to survive but to thrive, you realize they really did hear you. They really did receive.

It is heartwarming because you know the two of you, husband and wife, now will have a rediscovery of each other. You’ll have opportunities for time renewed that has been shared for decades, and now, it’s just the two of you.

Yes, it is meant to be, and it is bittersweet.

And yet, it is both exciting and heartwarming.

Change is coming, and it’s coming so fast.

It will be upon us before I am truly ready.

So for now, I will be present in the moment.

I will cherish the past and look expectantly toward the future.

But I will continue to savor my overspent time with my loves right here, right now.

And I will continue spending my most valuable moments with the loves of my life.

For this is where I long to be most, second only to being by my Savior’s side. But that story will be saved for another day’s writing…

Right now, I’m going to get back to where I love to spend most of my time…❤️

Coming Home

/ The WheatandTares / 8 Comments

Do you remember your favorite book from childhood?

My two favorite books from my childhood were Homecoming and Dicey’s Song by Cynthia Voigt. I had to choose two because these are a set, and well. I’m a bit indecisive.

These books captured my attention and took me away into a heartwarming, albeit sometimes heartbreaking, story about family.

Dicey is the main protagonist , and she is a beautiful young girl, not necessarily in appearance but rather in spirit. She and her three siblings are abandoned in a mall parking lot in Connecticut by their mother who has simply gone insane, and the novels follow the journey of their survival on foot and their surprise arrival at their grandmother’s rundown farm in Maryland.

I became lost in Dicey’s world, imagining I was a mixture of her spunk and tenacity along with a bit loner but very smart personality of her oldest younger brother. I loved every minute of these novels and even picked them up a few more times before the end of my school days.

Even as I reread some of the plot tonight to refresh my memory from all those many moons ago, I noticed there’s another several in the set. I may just have to pick a few back up and read a while…

A sweet and pretty realistic series to be enjoyed by one and all. If you’ve got some time over the summer and want to enjoy a little young adult reading, take a minute to check it out. You might just like it.